Clutch and transmission operating mechanism



June 23, 1942. H, w, PRlCE ETAL 2,287,272

CLUTCH l.m13 TRANsMIssIQN OPERATING MEcHANlsM Fned Junezz, 1959 5 sheets-sheet 1 INVEN TOR. HARa/.a nl. PR/c: BY EARL /1'6 P/P/cf June 23, 1942. H.' w. PRICE ErAL v 2,287,272

CLUTCH AND TR..iS`aIs S101@PERATINGrmclrmNIsMv Filed June 22,- i939 Y o /4./a y

.7a /58 /5 Mey/faz@ EEA 5,Sheets-1Sheet 2 June 23, 1942. Hfw, PRICE ErAL 2,287,272

cnufrqa AND TRANSMISSION OPERATING MEcHANIsM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fild June 22, 1939 1 lim ons.

June 23, 1942. H, W, PME AL 2,287,272

CLUTCH AND TRANSMISSION OPERATING MECHANISM Filed June 22, 1959 y 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 /36 224 'f f 576's T .l O... .bz2/fw 230 Z/Z 2/0 Y 2F15. El 234 IH ,71,2 M232 i ECM/rc .5W/70V INVENTOR. HafPoLa nf. P/P/cf EARL PAVCE ATTO EY.

June 23, 1942. H, w, FRlQE` AL 2,287,272 Y CLUTCH AND TRANSMISSION OBRATING MEQHANIM Filed .June 22, "1959 r 5 sheets-sheet 5 A wg@ v INVENTOR. HA/Pozom ma' By EARLRPR/cs ATTORNEY.

Patented June 23, 1.942

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oFFlcE CLUTCH AND TRANSMISSION OPERATING MECHANISM l Harold W. Price and Earl E. Price, 4South Bend, Ind., assignors to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, Ind., a corporation of Delaware Application June 22, 1939, serial No. 2s0, s1o- `9 claims.- (ci. '19g-.01)

rail, resulting in placing the transmission in thfe` desired gear ratio. y

One of the principal objects of the invention is topprovide means, including a plurality of' Y manually operated members, preferably a pedal operated by the foot of the driver and a "lever mounted beneath lthe steering wheel, for actuating the control valve of the aforementioned motor, one of said-members serving, in part, to controlpower means for operating the valve and the other serving as a .part of manually operated means for operating the valve.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide power means for actuating the changespeed transmission of an automotive vehicle, said power means being controlled by a selector mounted within easy reachv of the driver, preferably beneath the steering wheel, or by said selector operating in conjunctionwith either the clutch pedal or the accelerator pedal.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in power means for operatingv an automotive transmission, a valve operating motor, said motor being controlled in. part by a selector mounted within easy reach of the driver and in part by the clutch pedaL.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide, in a transmission operatingfmechanism, two manually operated members, the operation of the mechanism being such that with operation of one of said members in conjunction with a certain operation of the clutch there results a selection of a shift rail to be operated and then an actuationof the selected rail to place the transmission in the desired gear ratio, the opera# tion of the other of said members resulting -in an operation of the mechanism to actuate the second and'high gear shift, rail only'. 4

Yet another object of the invention is to provide, in the mechanism for actuating the control valve of a transmission operating motor, two

manually operated members, one of said members serving to control power `operated means for` in part by another manually operated means for Yet another object of the invention to pro# vide pressure differential operated power means for actuating a shift rail of the transmission to thereby establish the 'transmission in gear, said power means being controlled in part by a manually operated selector for so controlling the power means as. to effect any one of the operations of the transmission and being controlled so controlling the power means as to alternately eiect a second and high gear operation of the transmission, the mechanism being so constructed that the second-mentioned control means may be overruled or cut out of operation, at the will of the driver. A

Yet another object of the invention is to pro'- foot operated pedal, mounted on the oor of thev drivers compartment for controlling the throttle, the clutch and the transmission of the vehicle.

l Yet another object 'of the invention is to provide power means for operating the clutch and transmission of the vehicle, said means including the accelerator pedal operable in one position to so control the operation of the power means as to effect a disengagement of the clutch and operable in anotherv position to so control the l I operation of the power means as to effect either' a second gear operation of the transmission or a high gear .operation theof,

Other objects of the invention and desirable details of' construction and-combinations/f parts will become apparent from the following detailed description of ,certain embodimentsy/f the invention, taken -in conjunction with the Aaccompanying 'drawings-illustrating said embodiments, in which:

Figure 1is a digrammatic view disclosing the ,principal elements'o'f one embodiment of our invention; y o

Figure is a wiring diagram of most 'of .the electrical mechanismqof the invention disclosed in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged view, partly' in sec- Figure 1, disclosing tion, disclosing, in detail, the selector which is mounted beneath the steering wheel; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view, similar to another embodiment of our invention; A

Figure 5 is-a fragmentary view of the clutch pedal disclosed in Figures 1 and 4, showing another embodiment of our invention;

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the doubleacting vacuum motor for operating the shiftrails of the transmission;

Figure Z'is' a sectional view of the motor and control valve unit serving as part of one of the two mechanisms for operating the control valve s of the motor disclosed in Figure 6;

within a tube 32, said tube being secured to the steering column by the bracket 26 and a bracket 34. AA manually operated selector member 36 is pivotally connected at 38 to amember 40 mounted onv the end of the tube 32, and the link 30 is connected at 42 to the inner end of the selector 36.

Describing the power means for actuating the shift rail operating crank I4, a valve 44 for controlling the operation of the motor I0 is located within the casing 46 of the motor. This valve comprises a spool-shaped member 48 secured by a shank 50 to a hollow tube 52. The end portion 53 of a Aconnecting rod 54 constitutes the other part of 'the valve and is ported at 58 and 60.

Reciprocable movement of the valve member 48 is effected by clockwise or counterclockwise rota- 9-9 of Figure 8, disclosing details of the selector operated switch';

Figure l0 discloses, in side elevation, a modified form of control unit for cverruling the selector control of our transmission operating mechanism; Figure 11 is a sectional view lof the control unit disclosed in Figure-10, taken on the line ll-ll thereof;

Figure 12 is a diagrammatic view of the so- L called overrullng mechanism disclosed in Figures 1o and 11;'

4Figure 13 is a sectional view disclosing, indetail, the clutch pedal operated cut-in'switch;y

Figures 14 and 15 are sectional views disclosing details of the 'linkage for operating the motor controlling valve disclosed in Figure 6;

Figure' 16 is an enlarged view of the motor operated cam disclosed in Figure: 1; and

' Figure 17 is a sectional view disclosing the details'of the acceleratorl operated three-way valve of Figure 4.

There is disclosed in Figure 1 of the drawings one embodiment of our invention, including a double-actingxvacuum operated. motor I0, the piston or power element I2 of which is operably connected to a crank |4, which, when' rotated,

thereof. This crankmay be biased, by a spring 20, to the position shown in Figure 1, in which position thensecond and high gear shift rail is selected for operation.` A shift rail having been selected for operation, the motor |0 is then energized,. resulting in a movement ofv said rail to place the transmission'in the desired gear ratio.

The invention disclosed in Figure 1 lies in the Y. power and manually operated mechanism for op'-v erating the cranks |4 and vI8 and will now ybe described indetaih 'The crank I3 isrOtated clockwise by manually operated means including a link l'22 connected to a bell crank 24, which is mounted on a bracket-26 secured to the steeringA column 28 of the vehicle.- To one'end of the scription of the linkage for 'operating the valve 44, the -rod 54 is connected to the crank I4 by links 82 and 84, a pin 86, lever members 88 and 90 and a pin 92. Each of lever members 94 and 96 is pivotally connected at one end to the crank I4 by a pin 98 and is pivotally connected at its other end to the pin 14. The members 94and 96 .are pivotally connected to the lever members 88 and 9.0 by the pin 99. v

y No claim is made Ato the motor I0, its control valv' 44 and the linkage interconnecting the selec r 36 withthe valve, for this mechanism is described and 'claimed in the application of Harold'W. Price, Serial No. 223,629, illed August S, 1938, issued as Patent No. 2,241,071, dated May One of the most important parts of the mechanism constituting our invention, .that is, the power means for actuating the valve operating link 66, will now be described in detail. Asdisclosed in Figure 1, there is provided'a vacuum operated motor 00 secured to a ange |02, constituting part of the bracket 26. To adiaphragm and ts the crank s4 at |20. As disclssed in Figure 7, the motor |00 is controlled by means of a valve |22, said valve being operatedA by a solenoid |24.l Briefly describing the electrical mechanism for controlling the operation of the solenoid' |24 which is disclosed in Figures 1, 2 and '7,` the cirj cuit includes a battery 126, wiring |28@A a clutch operated switch |30, wiring |32 arfi. control.

unit |34, Figures 1 'and 8, wired to the solenoid |24, said unit including a selector operated socalled cross-shift switch |36,a breaker switch |38 and a solenoid |40 for operating the breaker switch. A clutch' operated switch m includes a ilxed'contact |3| and a movable contact |33 housed within a casing |35, the' two .contacts being biased into engagement with each other by a spring not, shown. Thecontact- |33 is held out crank 24 there is secured a link 430 telscoped`7 of engagement with the contact |3| by means of i plane of the steering wheel |50.

a pin I 31 rotatably mounted in the casing |35. The pin |31 is rotated by a crank |39and the latter is rotated by means of a link |43 interconnecting the crank with the clutch pedal |42 when the clutch pedal is depressed to its fullestv extent. The end of a plate |41, kupon which the movable Contact |33 is mounted, moves into contact with a at portion |49 of the pin |31, thereby permitting the contacts I3| and |33 to move into engagement with each other to close the switch. As will be made clear-hereinafter, the solenoid serves Y as a hold-down mechanism. The switch |30, disclosed in detail in Figure 13,. is closed whenthe clutch pedal |42 has been depressed `a certain amount and beyond a point necessary to completely disengage the clutch. As will be described in detail hereinafter, the breaker switch |38, normally biased by a spring |44 to the closed position disclosed in Figure 8, is opened by the solenoid |40, and the solenoid is energized to eiect this operation by maintaining the clutch pedal operated switch |30 closed and by closing the so-called cross-shift switch |36, which is operated by the selector.

Describing now the complete operation of the mechanism constituting that embodiment of our invention hereinbefore described and, incidentally, describing the elements thereof more completely, it willbe assumed that the engine is idling, thus producing a partial vacuum in its in- I take manifold, and that the selector 36 is in position to place the transmission in neutral. The

vacuum motors I0 and |00- are then deenergized and their power elements I2 and |04 respectively are-in the positions disclosed in Figures 6 and '7. I

Furthermore, the cross-shift switch |36 and the clutch operated switch |30 are opened, as disclosed-in Figures 2 and 8, the breaker switch |38 is closed, and the solenoids |40 and |24 are accordingly deenergized.

Assuming that the driver of the vehicle wishes to place the transmission in low gear, he depresses `-the clutch pedal |42 to disengage the transmission. l

This shift rail having been selected for operation, the selector is rotated toward the driver, moving in a plane approximately parallel to the This movement results in a clockwise rotation of the tube 32 about its longitudinal axis, a clockwise rotation of the crank 64 and a movement of the link 66l to move'the spool-shaped valve member 48 to the right, Figure 6. As the valve member 48 moves to the right, the connecting rod 54 moves to the left, for with movement of the pin 14 to the right, Figure 15, the lever members 94 and 96 are rotated about the pin 98, which remains stationary. This movement of the members 94 and 96 results in a movement 0f the lever members 88 and 90 about the pin 92. The pin 86 and connecting rod -54 connected therewith are accordingly moved simultaneously with the movement of the valve member 48, thus effecting ative movement of the valve member and connecting rod is sumcient to place the port 60 in communication with a chamber |52 outlined by the spool-shaped valve member 48 and the hub portion 53 of the connecting rod 54. A chamber 54 of the motor I0 is thus placed in communication with the intake manifold, or any other suitable source of vacuum, such asa vacuum tank, not shown, via port 60, chamber |52, a duct |56, the hollow tube 52 and a conduit |58. A chamber |60 of the motor I0 is at the time vented to the atmosphere via a port |62 in a dust cover or boot member |64, ports |66 in the hollow connecting rod 54 and the port 58 in the hub portion 53 of the connecting rod 54. The piston I2 is then subjected toa differential of pressures,

resulting in a movement thereof to the right.y l 'Ihe shift rail operating crank I4, which is connected to the piston I2, is, of course, then rotated counterclockwise to move the low and reverse shift vrail to place the transmission in low gear. Should the movement of the selector 36 be stopped before it reaches its low gear position, there resultswhat is known in the art as a follow-up action 0f the valve 44.

Describing this follow-up operation, if movement of the'valve member 48 is stopped, the connecting rod 54 continues to move to the right,

y until the valve parts are in the position disclosed in Figure 6. Air then rushes into the chamber |54 via. ports 60, |68, |66 and |62, and the movement of the rod 54 and the piston I2 stops. If movement of the selector 36 should be stopped while the synchronizer mechanism of the transmission is functioning, the parts of the mech-l anism would probably be moved Vsufliciently to permit the rod 54 to move just'enough to register the port 60 with a valve land I 10. The whole system would then be in equilibrium and the valve would be lapped. However, both of the above-described operations of the valve mechanism are known as follow-up operations, the

crank I4 following the movement of the selector 36. If the movement of the selector is uninterrupted, the motor piston ls moved to place Athel transmission in low gear.

Assuming now that the transmission is in low gear, the driver then depresses the accelerator and at the same time releases the clutch'. After the desired speed is reached, with the transmission in low gear, the driver will then probably desire to place the transmission in second gear.

- I'he accelerator is then released, the clutch again left. The shift rail operating crank I4 is accordingly rotated clockwise. to place the transmission in second gear. During this second gear movement of the selector. it will, under the action of the springs 20 and |48, drop down when its intermediate or` transmission neutral position is reached. However, this action, effecting as it does a selection of the second and high gear shift rail, is very fast and does not delay to any appreciable extent the operationrof placingv the transmission in second gear. As previously de- The motor chamber |60 is thusk scribed, should the movement of the selector be stopped, there will result the follow-up action of the valve to also stop the movement of the crankv I4'. It mayv also be noted that in order to keep the valve open the driver mustv exert a force, known-in the art as feel," which is at all times directly proportional to the force exerted by the piston I2; for the piston transmits its load to the crank I4 through the so-called reactionary levers 88 and 90, which are secured to the crank I4 by the pin 92: and the driver, in order' to keep the crank moving, must exert a force, acting through the pin 14, to keep the levers from rocking.

Describing in detail one of .the most important features of our invention, the driver may control the second and high gear 'operations of the transmission operating motor |10 by operation o f the clutch pedal. Again it will be assumed that the transmission is inneutral andthe parts of the mechanism are in their relative positions disclosed in the drawings. Referring to the electrical mechanism disclosed in Figures 1,' 2, '1, 8 and 9 and tothe brief descriptionV of this mechanism heretofore. given, when the clutch pedal `the Vaction of a spring |18, to move the valve member |22 off itsseat |80 and onto a seat |82. A chamber |84 of the motorv |00 is thus' placed in communication with the intake manifold or other source of vacuum via a conduit |86, port |88, valve chamber |90 and ports |92 and |94. The chamber |84 is thus partially evacuated, and, inasmuch as a chamber |96 is vented to the atmosphere via. port |98, it follows that the diaphragm |04 is subjected to a differential of pressures to move it to the left. The link |06 is .thus moved to the ,left until the hooked end |08 thereof contacts a face 200 of the cam ||0. Continued movement of the link |06 results in a counterclockwise rotation of the levervmember I2. There results an'operation of the valve 44 etfecting an energization of the motor |0, and the transmission is placed in second gear. lMost transmissions of the day are so geared that the vehicle may be started in second gear.- Accordingly, the

` hooked .end member |08 is so positioned that lit moved it will strike the'face 200 of the cam I I when' thelever ||2 is in its transmission neutral position.

The transmission having been placed in second gear, the clutch is released andthe accelerator depressed. to Aspeed up the vehicle. -Upon release of the clutch the switch |30 is opened, resulting in a deenergization of the-solenoid |24.

-The spring |18 then returns the valve |22 to the position disclosed in- Figure'l, thereby venting. .the motor chamber |84to;the atmosphere via an air cleaner 202 4and port 204. After the desired left. This time the end los contacts the side 206 of the cam I|0,and continued movement serves to rotate the lever ||2 clockwise to again open the valve 44. The.motor'|0 is accordingly again energized to place the transmission in high gear.

Subsequent depressions ofthe clutch to operate the switch |30 result in the transmission being alternately placed in second and high gear. However, it will -be remembered that when the transmission is in neutral, preparatory to starting `the vehicle, the lever 2 is in the position disclosed in Figures 1 and 16, Aand the rst de-v pression of the clutch pedal will, as previously described, result in a movement of the lever AI I2 l to place the transmission in second'gear. It should also be noted that, if the vehicle is stopped with the transmission. either in low or in high gear and the clutch pedal is moved sumciently despite Vthe closing of the switch |30 by .de

' pressing the clutch pedal its full extent.

to close the switch |30, the transmission will be p placed in second gear.

An important feature of our invention lies in the means, preferably power means, for .cutting out of operation the motor |00. This mechanism', which is discmsed Vin deta'iiin Figures 2, 'c vand 9 and which has been brieily described above,

serves .to overrule theclutch pedal control of the motor |00 to alternately place the transmission in second and high gears. This mechanism makes it possible for the driver to neutralize the transmission or to establish the transmission in anyone of its gear settings by moving the selector 36 to any one of its fom gear establishing positions or to its transmission neutral position. Any one of these 'settings of the transmission may be accomplished irrespective of the position from which the selector is moved and For example, if the selector is in its high gear'position, and the transmission is, of course, `established in high gear, then by moving the selector to its transmission neutral position the transmission is placed in neutral. Then, after the s'o-called cross-shift of the vtransmission is effected by moving the selector upwardly, thel transmission may be placed' in low gear, if the speed of the vehicle is reached in second gear,

the accelerator is released and the clutch is again disengaged to its full extent, or at least sumciently to again close the switch |30.v The solenoid |24 is accordingly again energized to operate the valve |22, and the motor |00 is again energized to driverso wills, by moving the selector to its low gear position.

This .so-called overruling' operation of' the mechanism is accomplished by a very slight up-- y ward movement of the selector, which movement takes place'when the driver-places his iingers on the lower side of a ball 208 on the end of the selector. 'I'his movement should, of course, be effected before theswitch III is closed. However, in the operation of shifting gears, most drivers i'irst place their hands on the selector and then depres's the clutch pedal', and with the mechanism of our invention this results in closing the switch |36 before the clutch pedal is depressed sufciently to close the switch |36. The abovementioned very slight upward movementA of the selector results in amovement of the link 30 downwardly, against the action of the spring |48.

To the end of the link 30 there is pivotally connecteda link 3| to which lthere is pivotally connected a link 2|0. As disclosed inFlgures 8 and 9, the link 2|0 is connected to a lever 2|2, and

through an opening in the end of the lever there' is rotatably mounted a pin 2|4. A rectangularshaped cam`member 2|! is secured to one end of the pi 2|4, and a spring 2li, interposed between a washer 220-and the cam 2|6, serves to move the hooked end I 08of the link |06 vto the 75 urge the washerv 220 into contactwith the lever 2|2. The pin 2|4 is prevented from moving inwardly and is accordingly held in place by a nut 222 so connected to the pin as to permit rotation thereof.

Continuing the description of the overrulingl Referring now to the electrical hook-up-dis closed in Figure 2, when the switch |36 is closed and the -switch |30 is then closed, as just described, the solenoid |40 is energized. This results in an armature 232 being moved upwardly, against the tension of the spring |44, to move the contact |12 into engagement with a contact 234.

The circuit to the solenoid |24 is thus broken, resulting in the valve |22 remaining closed and making it impossible to energize the motor |00.

There is accordingly no conscious 'act of the driver to overrule the clutch pedal control of shift motor |0, other than touching the selector for in so touching the selector in all probability the lever 2 0 will be moved the very slight amount necessary to close the switch |36. After the selector has been moved to place the transmission in gear, a release of the selector results in the spring 224, aided by the spring |48, returning the `lever 2|2 and cam 2|6 to their olf positions disclosed in Figure 8. In this position, the cam contacts an adjustable stop 236.

There is thus provided power means, including the solenoid |40, controlled by the selector and clutch pedal operated switches operable to make it impossible to select a second gear or high gear operation of the transmission by an operation of the clutch pedal. l

There is disclosed in Figures 10, 11 and 12 a modied form of power means for cutting out of operation the motor |00. In this embodiment of our invention, as with the embodiment previously described, the solenoid |24 is energized by depressing the clutch pedal all of the way. The circuit includes the battery and the clutch pedal operated switch, an armature 238, a movable contact member 240, and a fixed contact member 242 wired to the solenoid.` When it is desired to control the shifter motor entirely by the selector, a very slight upward movement thereof will result in a slight rotation of a crank 244, Figure 10. mediary of a spring 246 and a washer 248, in the rotation of a pin 250, which is journaled in bear- This. results, through the interings provided by the curved ends 252 and 254 'of a U-shaped plate 256. The plate is flxedly secured to the side of the housing 258, within which is secured a solenoid 260. An insulation-covered pin 262 also extends through the curved end 264 of e. relatively narrbw strip of metal extending from the side wall of the housing 258. The end contact with the core 210 of the solenoid 260. In

this operation of the armature, the contact 242 abuts a contact 212 wired to the winding o f the solenoid 260.

With this mechanism, when the driver of the `298 closes the throttle.

vehicle wishes to control the' operation of the transmission by the selector, he first lifts up the lselector sufficiently to bring contact 240 into abutment with contact 212, and then disengages the clutch sufciently to close the switch |30. This results in an energization of the solenoid 260 to thereby maintain the contacts 240 and 212 in abutment and the solenoid energized, for after making the electrical VA,circuit via the aforementioned contacts the solenoid 260 remains energized to maintain the circuit despite a re- A lease of the crank 244 and the resultant pull from the spring 266. Thus, with the modification disl closed in Figures 10 and 11, should the driver,

either inadvertentlyA or by design, remove his hand from the selectorbefore the desired shift is completed, the motor |00, despite this action, would remain inoperative, provided, of course, that the clutch pedal remained depressed suillciently to close the'switch |30.

There is disclosed in Figure 4 the preferred embodiment of our invention, wherein a manually operated pedalmember, which may be the accelerator of the vehicle, serves as the control element of mechanism for operating the throttle, the transmission and the clutch of' the vehicle.

In this embodimentof our invention, the elec- .anism of Figure 4 which duplicate the parts ,of

the mechanism of Figure 1 are identied by like reference numerals in both figures. The clutch pedal of the mechanism of Figure 4 is operated by a single-ended vacuum motor 218, the pedal being connected by a rod 280 to the piston or power element 282 of the motor. A suction compartment of the motor is connected by aconduit 284 to the intake manifold 286. A three-way `valve 288, disclosed in detail in Figure 17, is incorporated in the conduit 284 and is connected to the accelerator by a rod 290. The accelerator is connected to the throttle lever 292 by a, link 294, the throttle lever passing through a slot 286 to provide alost-motion connection.

Describing the operation of this mechanism `and incidentally completing the descriptionthereof, upon release of the accelerator, a spring Upon continuing the release movement of the accelerator, a spoolshaped valve member 300 of the three-way valve 288 is moved to the position disclosed in Figure 4, thereby interconnecting the manifold 286 with the compartment 302 of the motor 218 via the conduit 284 and ports 304 and 306 in the valve 288. With the engine idling and the manifold thus partly evacuated, the compartment 302 is partly evacuated, thereby subjecting the piston 282 to a differential of pressures, resulting in its movement to the left to disengage the clutch. Should the driver then desire to place the transmission in second gear, he merely has to depress the heel portion of the accelerator 216, rocking it about its pivot 308. This action serves to move a rod 3|0 to close the switch 214 and initiate a second gear operation of the transmission operating mechanism, all as previously described in detail. After the operation of the transmission is'completed, the switch 214 is opened by the rst part of the movement of the accelerator,

thereby deenergizlng the motor 210. The next increment of movement of the accelerator results in a closing of th'e valve 288, that is, a

movement of the same to vent the compartment 382 of the motor 218 to the atmosphere via ports 3I2 in the valve 288 and the conduit 284. The

clutch is thus permitted to engagevand the parts of the mechanism, including a slot 3I4, are so constructed and arranged that the opening of the throttle is initiated just as the clutch plates are contacting during the clutch engaging move--v ment. The next closing operation of the switch 214 byagain depressing the heel portion of the anism of Figure' there are provided three separate and distinct manually operated members v for controlling the operation of the throttle,

clutch and transmission. 'Ihe transmission may be placed alternately in second and high vgear by the power means for operating the valve 44, and said power means may be controlled .by either one of two foot operated members, namely, the

accelerator will result in the transmission being placed in high gear, which operation of the mechanism has also been described in detail.

It is an important feature of the invention disclosed in Figure 4 that the juncture of the conduit 284 with the conduit |86 lies between the valve 288 and the motor 218, and the construction of the parts, including theinterior diameter of the conduits, is such that the clutch is disengaged before the gears of the transmission persons skilled in the art.

accelerator pedal 'and the clutch pedal.

Although this invention has been described in connection with certain speciiic lembodiments, the principles involved are susceptible of numerous other applications that will readily occur to therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

are brought into mesh. It is to be noted that with the mechanism of Figure 4 the accelerator must be released before the clutch may be disengaged and must be further operated, that is, its heel portionfmust be depressed, before the transmission may be operated. The accelerator thus becomes a common control for the throttle, the transmission and the clutch 'of the'vehicle,

A for with the mechanism disclosed in Figure 4 neither the clutch nor the transmission is operated until the throttle is closed, which, of course, is the operation desired: and the transmission is not operated, that is, the gears'are not meshed, until the clutch isv disengaged, which is also We claim: y

1. In an automotive vehicle provided with a selective transmission and a steering wheel, means including a selector mounted beneath the steering wheel for effecting a rail selecting operation of the transmission, power means for establishing the transmission in gear including a pressure differential operatedv motor operably connected to the transmission, valve means for controlling the operation of the' motor, means for operating the valve including the aforementioned selector and linkage interconnecting the selector and valve, and furtherincluding power means comprising a pressure differential operated .y

motor, a valve for controlling the operation of the latter motor, and foot operated means for in desired. It should also be noted that thev accel- -I erator becomes a selectively operable foot operated-member cooperating with the hand operated selector located beneath the steering wheel to control the throttle, clutch and transmission of the vehicle.

There is disclosed in Figure 5 yet another embodiment of our invention: the parts of the mechanism which are duplicates of the parts disclosed in Figure 4 are accordingly given identical reference numerals. The mechanism of Figure 5 constitutes an improvement over that of Figure `4 in that a clutch pedal operated switch SIB,

wiredin parallel with the accelerator operated switch 214, provides an additionalcontrol for the transmission operating power means.

Describing the mechanism of Figure 5 and its operation, a clutch operating crank 318 is connected to the piston 282 of the vacuum motor 218 by the rod 280, and a pin 320 which is connected to the crank 3I8, if moved far enough, contacts the switch operating member .'illi With normal operation of the mechanism, the switch 3I8 is never closed, inasmuch as energization of the motor 218 with release of the accelerator l does not move the piston 282 and the pin 280 far enough to accomplish this result. However, should the driver` desire to shift the gears of the transmission from high to second or vice versa, he may accomplish this by depressing the clutch pedal |42, which is loosely mounted on the clutch shaft 322. The nrst movement of the pedal effects a disengagement of the clutch, the pedal moving the crank 3I8 by means of a plate 324,

contactible with the crank 3I8. Further movement of the clutch pedal results in movement of the crank 3|8 and the pin 320 far enough to eiect a closing oi theswltch 3|6 to eiect anmotors including a three-way valve, a conduitv directly connecting said three-way valve with the manifold, and a foot operated throttle, clutch land transmission control member connected to said -valveand to said throttle operating force transmitting means, said member, when in its rdepressed position, serving to so move the force transmitting means as to open the throttle, and

' said member further serving, in its released position, to so operate the aforementioned valve as to initiate a clutch disengaging operation of the clutch operating motor, said member further serving, when rocked counterclockwise by the heel of the driver, to effect an operation of the operation of the transmission. With thecmechtransmission operating power means.

3. Power means for operating a three-speeds forward and reverse transmission of an automotive, vehicle, said vehicle being provided with a clutch pedal'and a steering wheel, said power means comprising, in combination, a pressure differential operated motor operably connected to the transmission, a valve for controlling the operation of said motor, and means for operating said valve including a hand operated selector mounted adjacent the steering wheel of the vehiclle, force transmitting means interconnecting said'selector and valve, and power meansvfor so operating said force transmitting means as to eifect first a second gear establishing operation of the motor and then a high gear establishing operation thereof, said power means including a pressure diiferential operated motor, a three-wayV The invention is,

valve for controlling the operation of said motor, power means for operating said latter valve, and means for controlling the operation of said'valve operating power means including a clutch pedal operated switch.

4In an automotive vehicle provided with an accelerator, a throttle, an intake manifold, a clutch and a change-speed transmission, means for operating the throttle, clutch and transmission comprising, in combination, a vacuum motor, the power element thereof being connected to the clutch, another vacuum motor having its power element connected to the transmission, a control valve 'for said transmission operating motor, linkage interconnecting the accelerator and throttle, a conduit interconnecting the manifold and clutch operating motor, a three-way valve incorporated in said conduit, linkage interconnecting said valve and accelerator, a conduit interconnecting the transmission operating motor and that portion of the aforementioned conduit interconnecting the valve and clutch motor, means for operating the control valve of the transmission operating motor, said means including a switch operated by the accelerator.

5. In an automotive vehicle provided with an intake manifold, a throttle operating accelerator, a clutch and a change-speed transmission, power means for operatingthe clutch and transmission including a vacuum motor having its power ele-f ment connected to the clutch, another vacuum motor having its power element connected tothe transmission, a valve for controlling the operation of said transmission operating motor, a fluid transmitting conduit interconnecting the intake manifold with the clutch operating motor, an-

other fiuid transmitting conduit interconnecting the aforementioned conduit with the transmission operating motor, an accelerator operated control valve for said motors incorporated in said first-mentioned conduit, means for operating the transmission operating motor control valve, and 4power means for operating said means. said power means including an electrical switch located beneath the heel portion of the accelerator.

6. In an automotive vehicle provided with a clutch pedal, a steering post, a steering wheel and a change-speed transmission having a plurality of shift rails, means for selecting a rail to be actuated including a hand operated selector mounted on the steering post immediately beneath the steering wheel, a crank extending from the casing of the transmission, force -transmitting means interconnecting said crank and selector, means for actuating the selected shift rail to thereby place the transmission in the desired gear ratio, said means including a pressure differential operated motor, a control valve for said motor, force transmitting means interconnecting a part of said control valve with the aforementioned selector, power means for `actuating said last-mentioned force transmitting means, and means Aoperated by said clutch pedal and by said selector for controlling the operation of said power means.

7. In an automotive vehicle provided with a clutch pedal, a steering wheel and a changespeed transmission having a plurality of shift rails, means for selecting a shift rail to be operated, and means controlled in part .by the clutch pedal for moving the selected rail to thereby establish thetransmission in gear,- both of said means including a selector member mounted beneath the steering wheel, and further including means controlled in part by` said selector for 4rendering the clutch pedal inoperative as part 'of the means for establishing the transmission in gear.

8. In an 'automotive' vehicle provided with a clutch pedal and a change-speed transmission,

power means for operating the transmission to establish the same in gear, said means including a pressure differential operatedmotor operably connected with the transmission, a valve for controlling the operation of said motor, means for linkage in compression and tension, said latter means including a pressure differential operated motor and clutch pedal operated means for controlling the operation of said motor.

9. In an automotive .vehicle provided with a steering wheel, an accelerator, a clutch pedal and a change-speed transmission, means for operating the transmission to establish the same in the desired gear ratio comprising, in combination, a pressure differential operated motor having its power element operably connected to the transmission, valve means for controlling the operation of the motor, and means for operating -said valve including a selector mounted adjacent the steering wheel and within easy reach of the driver, means interconnecting said selector and valve, means operated by the accelerator pedal,-

and means operated by the clutch pedal.

HAROLD w..PR.IcE.

EARL R. PRICE. 

